Pathological gambling: Implications for therapeutic recreation practice

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Fourth Quarter 1999 by Carruthers, Cynthia

Low self-esteem. Self-esteem is comprised of two components (Mruk, 1995). The two components are a sense of worthiness and a perception of competence. For some individuals who gamble pathologically, gambling is a means of enhancing self-worth, and controlling fears associated with feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and powerlessness (Walters, 1994a). According to Jacobs (1989), an essential precursor to pathological gambling is a feeling of personal inferiority and rejection. Through gambling, individuals can create an alternative identity designed to enhance personal feelings of power, importance and control (Walters), prestige, risk-taking, and competence (Holtgraves, 1988). The obvious difficulty with boosting one's self-esteem through gambling is that gamblers often are "losers" which can undermine self-esteem. To recapture the positive sense of self, the gambler feels compelled to gamble again (Jacobs).

Social Variables

The social problems experienced by individuals who gamble pathologically can be varied. These issues include: the residual effects of family of origin issues, unwillingness to seek social support, difficulty with intimacy, stress in the family, and bonds with gambling friends.

According to Jacobs (1989), the source of the low self-esteem of pathological gamblers is often a dysfunctional family of origin. Pathological gamblers often come from families where alcohol/drug/gambling abuse existed (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Individuals whose parents were uninvolved, disrespectful, lacked warmth, and did not provide clear expectations often lack selfesteem (Mruk, 1995). Individuals raised in dysfunctional families may not have had the opportunity to learn effective relationship skills within their families (Curran, 1983). Many of the problems experienced by the pathological gambler, such as lack of trust (Abbott, Cramer, & Sherrets, 1995) and difficulty in expressing feelings (Steinberg, 1993), are common in individuals from dysfunctional families.

Pathological gamblers, especially women, also have a high incidence of being victims of physical and sexual abuse. Although not all physical and sexual abuse occurs within the family of origin or adult family context, much of it does. The rates of physical and sexual abuse experienced by women who are pathological gamblers ranges from 60%-75% (Franklin, 1996; Specker, Carlson, Edmonson, Johnson, & Marcotte, 1996).

According to McCormick's research (1994), the pathological gambler has poorly developed skills in seeking personal or emotional support. He suggested that this may be especially true of men who perceive that needing support from another is a sign of weakness. Narcissistic gamblers who want to maintain the image of superiority and power may have a particularly difficult time asking for help to deal with their problems (McCormick). This inability to seek social support can create significant roadblocks for the pathological gambler in recovery. Without social support, they must rely on their old ineffective coping strategies. Social support has been demonstrated repeatedly to be crucial in the maintenance of recovery (Walker, 1993).